Seadog (episode)
Seadog is the third episode in NCIS Season 1 and the 3rd episode of the entire NCIS series. Synopsis A group of young adults who are holding a late-night beach party on a beach find their evening being interrupted and the party ultimately ruined when a damaged boat and the bodies of two drug dealers as well as a Naval Commander all wash ashore, all three having been shot dead during a gunfight. While the local authorities are all quick to assume that the Commander may have been involved in drugs, Gibbs refuses to believe it and suspects that things aren't what they seem.. Prologue On a small beach, a group of teenagers are having a late night beach-party with the Romantics's "What I Like About You" blaring in the background. During the party, Dave Simmons hears some fireworks while Sarah Fuentes sarcastically tells him she's always dug music from the 80s. Dave eventually turns the music off to get a better listen despite his friends protesting. Dave tells them to shut up and upon hearing a bit more, quickly realizes the supposed fireworks is actually gunfire. Seconds later, the group gets a huge shock when a speedboat with no-one in it turns up on the beach, causing them to scatter in all directions. Dave then finds that the boat has been shot up as there are lot of bullet holes in the boat. It then cuts to Dave who glances at the ocean, probably wondering where the boat could have come from and what happened. Act One It's Monday morning and it's all hustle and bustle in the NCIS squad-room when Leroy Jethro Gibbs arrives for another day of work. Ignoring greetings from his colleagues, fellow NCIS Special Agents Anthony DiNozzo Junior and Caitlin Todd, Gibbs gets down to work and demands to know if they've got any ongoing cases. DiNozzo gives him a list of various events happening at the moment which Gibbs rejects. DiNozzo then reveals that all agents not working any active cases are to attend a sexual harassment course at the NCIS human resource training course which is to begin at 09:30 hours today. Gibbs remarks that he can't sit through another of those and that he will shoot himself. After some banter between Tony and Kate, Gibbs's cell phone rings and he takes it before hanging up. He informs the team that a dead Navy Commander just washed up on a North Virginia beach much to Tony's joy. The team eventually arrive at the scene to find it contaminated due to the fact that some reporters are already on scene. Upon getting onto the beach, Gibbs meets Sergeant Linn who's already giving his name to Diane Fontaine, a local reporter. Gibbs identifies himself as NCIS and Linn tells him he and his men have been running between the body and the boat all night long and that the boat crashed ashore in the middle of a "beach blanket bingo". When Fontaine attempts to ask Gibbs some questions, Gibbs responds by having DiNozzo escort Fontaine and her men off the scene. Once they're gone, Gibbs berates Linn for ruining the crime scene simply by letting people other than investigators into it and for also going through the victim's pocket without using any gloves. Donald Mallard and his assistant, Gerald Jackson arrive on scene. Upon realizing the state of the scene before them, Ducky berates Sergeant Linn for screwing up and then tells Linn to tell him what the Sergeant himself did when he got to the scene, wondering where Sergeant Linn got his crime-scene procedures from watching Kojak re-runs. Linn is stunned and starts protesting as the team prepare to get to work while Ducky tells Linn to tell Ducky what Linn did when he got here and from the very top. At the scene where the Commander's body is, Kate is busy taking photographs of the body while Gerald prepares for Ducky. When Gibbs arrives, Kate remarks that it looks like a herd of elephants went through the area with Gibbs stating that it was just one fat local LEO. Gibbs then tells Kate to bag the Commander's wallet and that he'll do the photos instead. Kate tells him that Tony told her what to do. Gibbs stamps down his authority by telling her that Tony doesn't tell her want to, Gibbs himself does. After Kate gives him the camera, Gibbs orders her to get witness reports and get the boat towed back to the NCIS Evidence Garage. As Kate runs off, DiNozzo returns, stating he needs more assignments like that and Gibbs realizes he's gotten Fontaine's number. Ducky, still furious over Linn's disregard for protocol arrives at the scene, still going on and on about Linn. stating that Linn is an imbecile and that Linn shouldn't even be a school crossing guard. Upon closer inspection, it's revealed that the Commander was shot in the back with Tony remarking that they can rule out accidental drowning while Ducky sadly states that even if the Commander had survived being drowned, he would never have been able to walk again, hinting that if the Commander had lived, he would have paralyzed for life as a result of getting caught in the crossfire. Gibbs then remarks about the two bodies up at Fort Story with Ducky remarking that at least the DIA know not to contaminate a crime scene. Once Ducky's left, Gibbs orders Tony and Gerald to bag the body and any evidence they found and meet him and Ducky up at Fort Story. Tony states to Gerald that it gives Gerald a warm feeling, doesn't it? Gerald wants to know what. Tony then remarks that it's knowing that Gibbs trusts them with a contaminated crime scene. Gerald just laughs and tells Tony to come on. A while later, Gibbs and Ducky have arrived at Fort Story where they meet DIA agent Kent Fuller and Captain Tom Bradstone of the Army CID with Ducky expressing happiness at the fact that the crime scene has been preserved. Fuller remarks that they're not amateurs. Fuller also tells them that he believes that the deaths may be linked because in his opinion, how many guys go out fishing in the middle of the night? "Me", Gibbs replies, raising his hand. Fuller believes that the drug dealers didn't and they were bringing in coke. He also has a theory that suggests the two dealers got killed for the boat and the drugs as well. Captain Bradstone steps forward and informs them that his medical examiner is unavailable. He also states the Army has no objection to NCIS and DEA working the scene as long as he gets copies of the reports. Gibbs then studies the bodies and wonders how if there are any drug dealers that they know who dump both the bodies and the cash, leaving everyone puzzled at that statement. Arriving back in the squad-room, Kate angrily confronts Gibbs and DiNozzo over her assignment. She asks them if they do this to all the newbies or if it's just the females. She then tells them that nine students from UVA were having a beach party and at 0230, they heard what sounded like fireworks out on the water. Tony realizes that it was gunfire. Kate continues on with her report, stating that when the boat got onto the beach, it scared the Hell out of the college students. Gibbs soon figures out that the Commander was actually running from the gunfire. Kate points out that there were six bullet holes in the boat's stern and just two in the engine housing. During a search of the boat, Kate reveals she found evidence suggesting that the Commander was simply out there, doing some night-time fishing. She tells Gibbs that she found some simple items including a coffee thermos and a ham sandwich which she logged and sent to Abby. When DiNozzo asks about the drugs, Kate tells him she didn't see any drugs. DiNozzo then remarks that he once pulled some H out of a horse's ass when he worked in Baltimore. Kate states there was no horse on the boat. Gibbs then tells Kate about the drug dealers carrying fanny packs containing sums of money. Kate responds that she wants to see it and that she did work for the Secret Service and after some banter with Tony, leaves. Once Gibbs has remarked that he feels like a high school principal, he looks at the plasma and notes that the group of kids were right: the shooters either went up the Chesapeake or up the Maryland coast and tasks DiNozzo to find out which one. In the morgue, Ducky and Gerald are examining the Commander's body as well as that of the two drug dealers while Agent Fuller looks on. Ducky then produces a bullet from the Commander's body and starts sharing a story with Fuller but Fuller excuses himself after becoming queasy. As he heads for the lift, Fuller remarks he can see that Gerald doesn't talk much. Seconds later, Gerald pulls out his headphones and asks Fuller if he said something. The lift then opens and the two men get in with the door closing after them almost immediately. Up in the squad-room, Gibbs is busy doing paperwork while the TV behind Tony's desk shows Fontaine giving a news report. Fontaine tells her viewers the news that Commander Brian Farrell's body was found near the bodies of two alleged drug dealers and also states that "Urban Lights", a night-time basketball program Farrell co-founded and is designed to get youngsters at risk off the streets has been shut down due to the drug connection will be suspended on all Norfolk community courts... It then cuts to Gibbs who switches off the TV, unable to watch anymore while lost in his thoughts. Act Two In the now-abandoned basketball court, two young men are playing basketball when Gibbs approaches them. Gibbs questions the two about Farrell and discuss the probability that the Commander was involved in selling drugs. The two are suspicious of Gibbs and refuse to answer him, even referring to him as "Five-0". As a result, Gibbs climbs over the gate and confronts the two who are surprised that he climbed the fence and managed to get over. They then cave in and give him an answer while also revealing that Farrell's nickname among the youngsters in the area was "Seadog". The next day, the team and Agent Fuller have gathered in Abby's lab where Kate is busy giving them a lecture on micro-printing which the Treasury used to foil counterfeiters and remarks that while it was good to stop high school kids, it wasn't enough for some rogue countries and a few top forgers. By closely examining the bills and using the skills she inherited while working in the Secret Service, she's realized that the money that was found with the dead drug dealers are all fakes due to the fact that the micro-printing reads "Untied" instead of "United". Tony then tells Gibbs that he's examined the tide charts and judging by the location, the boat belonging to the dealers probably landed in Chesapeake Bay. Gibbs orders Fuller to bring in the two rival drug gang leaders to help them ID and find the missing boat. He then tells Kate to get one of her former Secret Service colleagues to help her without informing her boss. As Kate leaves to do the assignment, Abby waves her hands and then bangs on the wall of the lab before using sign language to tell Gibbs what she's found. Through sign language, she informs Gibbs that the round from the AkK-47 that killed Commander Farrell came from the same weapon that murdered the two drug dealers. Tony expresses surprise that Abby can sign but Gibbs tells him that her parents are or were deaf. Tony wants to know how Gibbs learnt how to sign but his question goes unanswered. Abby comes out and while telling Gibbs that he's still got the touch, she also signs, causing Gibbs to tell Tony that she's got more information for them. She's found GSR or gunshot residue on the smugglers's hands but Farrell's hands were clean. Gibbs thanks her and leaves her with Tony joining him as they head for the elevator. In the elevator, Gibbs asks Tony to give him Fontaine's number with Tony seeking to know how Seadog is. Tony wants to know if he can expense it but Gibbs tells him no. Tony then wonders how to sign, "I should have known?". Gibbs makes a gesture with his hands. It then cuts to a restaurant where Gibbs is meeting Fontaine for lunch. He offers her further information in regards to the Farrell story. In exchange, he wants to know if she's more than willing to air a story that will clear the dead Commander's name. Gibbs arrives at NCIS HQ where Tony tells him that the two drug dealers have arrived and are waiting for them downstairs. The two men arrive in Autopsy and meet Frank Trujillo and his rival, Darryl Wilkins. Gibbs shows the two drug leaders the bodies of the two dead drug dealers. Trujillo doesn't say anything but Gibbs states that he saw a glimmer of recognition in the man's eyes. While the two drug dealers continue smirking, thinking this whole thing is a joke, Gibbs pulls out his trump card. He tells them that the Commander lying on the table didn't die of natural causes or even fighting for his country. "He died in a crossfire between you two dirtbags", Gibbs simply states. Trujillo wants his lawyer. Tony hands over a bag containing the counterfeit bills to Gibbs who explains that they came from a foreign government known for supporting terrorism. He also decides to have the two sent to Gitmo/Guantanmo Bay and wants them listed as being supporters of terrorism. While Tony reads the two drug dealers their rights, Fuller interjects, saying Gibbs can't send them to Gitmo because the two men in question happen to be US citizens. But Gibbs doesn't budge on the subject, instead choosing to stand his ground in regards to the affair. It then cuts to Gibbs who tells Fuller to watch him. Act Three After a while, Fuller arrives up in the squad-room to tell Gibbs that Trujillo wants to talk, having actually believed that Gibbs would send him to Gitmo. As he departs the bullpen to head back down to the morgue, Gibbs tells Fuller that the secret of a good bluff is not to bluff. In the morgue, Trujillo explains that the dead dealers who he ID's as Jesus and Carlos Garcia took his boat without Trujillo's own permission or knowledge. Wilkins then says that his people didn't kill Trujillo's and as such, Trujillo believes him. Gibbs tells them he'll accept this if Trujillo will give them the boat. Trujillo claims he can't do that but Wilkins blows Trujillo's statement out of the water by telling Gibbs and the others that all of Trujillo's boats are outfitted with GPS equipment. After a search, the boat in question, "La Eternidad" is finally found abandoned in a harbor and NCIS and DEA descend on the boat to begin their own respective investigations. From an inside inspection, Gibbs discovers that the boat's interior is covered in blood and that the rest of the boat has been shot up. Having dispatched Fuller to get information, Gibbs imagines the shootout playing out from where he's standing on the stern of the boat although Tony believes that he's looking at the two young attractive ladies in the boat across the way. It then cuts to Kate who's sketching an image of Gibbs in her pad. Marcy Carruthers from the Secret Service arrives and spends the next few minutes talking to Kate but it becomes apparent that something's off about Marcy's behavior. Marcy tells Kate that while they were able to trace the money, she adds a "we" in. Marcy then berates Kate for thinking that anyone would slip her info on this. It then cuts to Agent Tobias Fornell standing nearby as Marcy explains that the Secret Service had to inform the FBI about their actions. Unsurprisingly, Kate is less than pleased with his appearance and even more so when Fornell remarks that she's joined the cowboys aka NCIS. At the marina, Fuller returns and tells the team that Jenny and Nancy, the two ladies Tony was looking at earlier proved to be very helpful. Fuller mentions that they remembered seeing a young man in his late twenties with a couple of cell phones and a laptop working on the boat. The two women also saw a white van pull up. During that time, the men moved heavy suitcases and a third man to the van from the boat before leaving. As the DEA begin searching the boat for drugs, Gibbs and Tony regroup at the NCIS trunk with Tony insisting he could get more information from the young ladies if Gibbs gave him a chance. Knowing he might regret this, Gibbs agrees. Back at NCIS HQ and in the bullpen, Kate is going back and forth, extremely agitated. Gibbs arrives back from in the marina and asks her if she got anything from her friends. She tells him she did. Gibbs proceeds to walk around her and sure enough, sees Fornell there sitting in her chair. Gibbs tells her she's disappointed him and that she needs to rethink the word, "friend". Kate tells him that if she'd been in Marcy's position, she would have done the same thing. Fornell tells her to be careful and remarks that she's running out of job options, causing Kate to narrow her eyes. Once Gibbs has sat down at his desk, Fornell gets down to business and tells Gibbs that the serial numbers on the fake bills that NCIS found on the dead drug dealers match some that 9/11 hijackers passed. Fornell then announces that the killers NCIS are searching for aren't drug dealers: they're terrorists. It then cuts to Gibbs and Kate, both of whom look stunned by the revelation. Act Four Up in MTAC as Gibbs, Kate and Fornell look on, NCIS Director Thomas Morrow is having a video-conference with Charlie the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Agent Fornell's boss, discussing the terrorists along with the revelation that since 9/11, the FBI has built a database composed of information collected from over 70 foreign intelligence agencies across the world. Morrow demands to know why NCIS wasn't included and the Director, Charlie states that the FBI likes to monitor who's using the database. When Morrow threatens to tell the other agencies, Charlie relents, allowing NCIS to gain access to the database but warns that if the other agencies do hear about this, then NCIS will be banned from having any further access to the database, a condition that Morrow agrees to. Seconds later, Charlie signs off and the MTAC screen begins going through an extremely long list of terrorists. When Gibbs asks how it's going to take to scan the database, Fornell says that he doesn't know because it's never been done before. Meanwhile at the marina, Tony is interviewing Jenny and Nancy, the two women Agent Fuller spoke to earlier and is in the process of getting them to remember more information in regards to the people who left the boat. In MTAC, the FBI terrorist database has come through for NCIS as the fingerprints are revealed to be belong to a Saudi terrorist named Seth Shakir who's wanted in connection with a bombing in Baghdad, Iraq. Fornell mentions that the red star means that the case is active with a high priority. After getting the info, Gibbs, Kate and Fornell leave MTAC and head back into the bull-pen where Tony joins them, having acquired new information from Jenny and Nancy. He tells them that one of the girls remembered that the man driving the van that the others used was wearing a uniform and through some surveillance tapes, learns that the van belongs to a company named "Jefferson Power". Abby arrives into the bullpen, telling them she was only able to match prints to the drug dealers in the cooler. When Kate tells her they got a match on a terrorist, Abby expresses surprise and berates Fornell for holding out on them, stating that it's not a nice thing for him to have done. She also tells them that she found traces of C4 on the boat which has Fornell realizing that the terrorists are planning to blow something up. Having put an APB out on the van, Fornell leaves with Tony remarking that he feels like he just kissed his sister. Abby's shocked to learn that he has a sister but Tony says he doesn't, simply stating he was fantasizing to which Abby replies she needs music to do that. Once Abby's left, Gibbs remarks that Fornell has target fixation, a term that Tony explains is used to describe a fighter pilot who gets so fixed on his target that he flies right into it. "Like you with women", Kate remarks and Tony gives her a sarcastic smile in response. Getting back to the case, Gibbs discusses the North East blackout which happened in August 2003 which was caused by a tree falling on some power lines. After some research, the team discover that three key failures in Virginia's power grid could grow and eventually result in a black out that could spread across the whole entire United States, leaving it potentially vulnerable to a terrorist attack. Gibbs then realizes that they need to get to the nearest node as possible and settles for the one in Fairfax, VA. With that in mind, Gibbs, Kate and Tony set off for Fairfax. Along the way, with Gibbs in the passenger seat, Kate in the back and Tony behind the wheel, Kate gets information from Fornell and shows Gibbs a photo that they emailed to her. Gibbs takes one look at the photo and states that it's an alias before asking Kate what he does. She tells him he's a power line inspector. At one of the towers, Shakir's busy working on his laptop. After a quick high-speed dash to the scene, the team get closer to the tower where they spot Shakir working. Unfortunately, he spots them and begins yelling to someone on a phone in Arabic before grabbing his AK-47 and starts shooting at the approaching car while yelling like a madman. This forces the team to shoot back. With his right hand on the wheel, Tony is forced to shoot with his left hand while Gibbs is free to shoot with both hands and with one good aim, gets Shakir in the arm, causing the terrorist to fall to the ground and lose his glasses in the process. Despite this set-back, Shakir isn't deterred and in a last ditch effort, crawls back to his laptop. The team get out of the car with Gibbs yelling "Freeze" but Shakir isn't bothered and instead continues on with his work. Realizing there's no other options left, Gibbs and Kate are forced to shoot Shakir again with the bullets killing Shakir. Once they're certain Shakir's dead, the team move in closer and investigate the set-up. Kate realizes that Shakir had managed to dial six numbers before they had managed to take him down for good and he was just one number away from carrying out the attack. Gibbs soon walks off, leaving Kate and Tony to process the crime scene by themselves. A while later, at night-time, young African-American men are busy engaging in a game of basketball. Fontaine's on the scene, telling her story to a camera and reveals that Farrell/Seadog's good name has been restored. After the two have finished talking, Gibbs is picked up by the Mysterious Red-Head. It then cuts to an overhead shot showing the car driving into the night while the basketball game carries on, Gibbs having fulfilled his promise of redeeming Commander Farrell's good name. Cast Series Regulars Recurring Cast Guest Cast Category:NCIS Episodes Category:NCIS Season 1 Episodes Category:NCIS Episodes written by Donald P. Bellisario Category:NCIS Episodes written by John C. Kelley Category:NCIS Episodes directed by Bradford May Category:NCIS Episodes featuring Thomas Morrow Category:NCIS Episodes featuring Gerald Jackson Category:NCIS Episodes featuring Tobias Fornell